Author Archives: Andy Gray

ACL 037: Dino Dogan

Dino Dogan grew up in the middle of the Bosnia War and fled with a backpack, expecting to be away from home only a few days. Twenty years later he lives in the United States and is an entrepreneur, blogger, and podcaster.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Dino shares about:

his life as a teen in Bosnia during the war,
becoming a refugee, and taking trains to Sweden without knowing if they would be allowed to cross the border,
the corporate work that sustained him early in his career,
wanting to grow in new ways in becoming an entrepreneur,
the important lessons he learned from failed businesses,
the value of a partner to balance his weaknesses and strengths,
the key learning that desire is necessary but not sufficient to accomplish a big goal, and
how all of this has informed his core beliefs about business and the world.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 036: Owen Marcus

Owen Marcus is the author of a new book called Grow Up: A Man’s Guide to Masculine Emotional Intelligence. Owen shares about learning from dyslexia and Asperger’s Syndrome, and the very real ways that working with men’s groups has impacted him personally.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Owen shares his personal journey and the impact of men’s groups, including:

the sense of personal empowerment that came from learning about and actively working to heal dyslexia, Asperger’s, and ADHD,
the increased well-being he experienced through Rolfing,
his perspective of authenticity as alignment in many aspects of life,
atunement to personal energy as a gauge of direction, and fear as a necessary condition to move us forward,
why he believes so strongly in the power of micro-communities to support and challenge us,
the story behind Grow Up, and the impact that he wants the book to have.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 035: Mike Hrostoski

Mike Hrostoski had his world rocked when his mother died unexpectedly. He left his traditional corporate career and took a year off to focus on doing things that brought him joy: spending time with his brother and travelling around the United States doing volunteer work. He now spends his energy coaching high-performing men.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Mike shares the shift in his life’s direction, what he now values most, and how he helps men live more congruent lives, including:

how he started receiving inspiration from various sources about how his life could be different,
how his mother’s death galvanized his reinvention,
the importance of showing up fully,
taking risks of trying something new, and dealing with the fear that comes with that,
the similarities between love and business,
the core values of integrity, growth, and emotional intimacy,
authenticity as speaking your truth, including asking for what you want and being willing to say no,
taking personal responsibility for life’s direction and happiness.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 034: Greg Berg

Greg Berg is the host of Radio Enso, an interview podcast sharing “Tools and Inspiration for Conscious Living.”

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Greg draws on his varied life experiences and lessons learned from his show and his guests, including:

pulling the best aspects from his various work experiences into a “mashup” of the work he truly wants to do,
learning from “false starts” and conscious reinvention,
the importance of asking questions and being aware of what lights you up,
taking risks of trying something new,
how being in a car accident as a young man still informs his life today,
the roots and motivation for a big project like Radio Enso,
embracing a little bit of fear to stretch creatively and expand your comfort zone,
conscious living and valuing authenticity.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 033: Amy Clover

Amy Clover found herself mired in clinical depression, hit a breaking point, and reinvented her life from the inside out. She now helps others to move their own lives forward by harnessing fitness and positive action through Strong Inside Out.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Amy shares stories about:

“accidentally” embracing fitness as a path to emotional and mental healing,
discovering some of the beauty behind the struggle,
the epiphany she experienced about how her personal journey could be of service to others,
learning to develop her business over time so that she could increase her impact in the world,
embarking on “crazy” projects, like leading boot camps in cities across North America,
why she supports To Write Love on Her Arms,
finding inner strength to make a big jump, and trusting that a net will appear when needed,
how vulnerability and authenticity is a core of living congruently in the world.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 032: Illana Burk

Illana Burk‘s dream of being a professional dancer was derailed by an accident on the eve of her big debut, forcing her to find a new passion and direction for her life.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Illana shares beautifully about embracing vulnerability and ultimately making it a core of her success, including:

her lengthy journey to discover a new life passion after leaving dancing behind,
learning to make peace with her limitations,
healing the adversarial relationship she had developed with her body, which she felt had failed her,
aligning her mental strength with the physical skills she had previously relied on,
how a character played by Melanie Griffith served as an early role model, which she later saw through,
how entrepreneurship provided an unexpected path to express her individuality while honoring her needs,
learning to see vulnerability not as a weakness, but as a strength,
working with people on a genuine level – “that’s where the good stuff is!”,
perspectives on transparency and fierce honesty with self, and
her vision and passion for democratizing business education.

Transcript

Coming soon!

ACL 031: Sylvester Neal

Sylvester Neal is a past president of Kiwanis International who spent his career in public service as a firefighter, airport security chief, and state fire marshal.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Sylvester shares interesting stories from his well-lived life, including:

attending an integrated high school in the 1950s, and how he never got into a fight,
what he learned when a restaurant would not allow him to eat with his teammates,
how his dreams of going to college evaporated after one poor football game,
the effect that a house fire had on his dreams and the trajectory of his work,
how having confidence in his intuition boosted his early career as a firefighter,
having the discipline to earn a college degree over ten years of night school,
being open to discovering unexpected blessings in disguise,
having the courage to turn down a job that simply wanted to fill its minority quotas,
how fainting in an airport led to clarity about living a life of service, and
what he is learning from raising his young grandsons while in his 70s.

Transcript

Transcript for ACL 031: Sylvester Neal

ACL 030: Julie Harris

Julie Harris is a former athlete and executive who found herself confronted with a chilling diagnosis from which she was not expected to live long. Telling her doctor, “I really don’t accept this,” Julie set out on an inspiring journey of self-discovery and healing to move beyond cancer, and now invests her energy helping others as a wellness coach.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Julie shares stories and reflections from her athletic, professional, and health experiences, including:

key life lessons that she learned from pushing herself athletically,
learning, forgetting, and relearning to pay attention to what her body was telling her,
the fine line between pushing oneself to excel and ignoring warning signs,
the importance of family-like support structures in both team and individual situations,
the balance between the power to create, and the power to “un-create,”
her intuition about what she needed to do in order to heal herself,
how her health challenges organically provided clarity about the work that she next wanted to do.

Transcript

Coming soon!

Links

Julie is generously offering a free 30-minute coaching session in January 2014 to A Congruent Life listeners. Email Julie directly if you’d like to take advantage of this – thanks, Julie!

ACL 029: Srini Rao

Srinivas Rao is the host of the popular BlogcastFM podcast and the author of the recent book, The Art of Being Unmistakable: A Collection of Essays about Making a Dent in the Universe.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Srini shares insights from his personal journey as a podcaster, entrepreneur, and writer, as well as key lessons he has learned from interviewing hundreds of guests on BlogcastFM, including:

discovering that he was the common thread in why corporate jobs didn’t work for him,
how most significant self-discovery happens during challenges or times of suffering,
why only putting one foot outside your comfort zone holds you back,
what it means to “make a dent in the universe,”
how surfing has been for him a source of presence and living in the moment,
that our capacity for dealing with adversity is far greater than we think,
the key choice between choosing to play it safe or take risks.

Transcript

Transcript for ACL 029: Srini Rao

ACL 028: Ken Streater

Ken Streater is an entrepreneur, adventure guide, and writer who recently wrote a book called The Gift of Courage, sharing inspiring stories of courage and passion.

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In this episode of A Congruent Life, Ken shares interesting stories and great insights, including:

coming to learn that his love of the outdoors could actually be an expression of service,
why experiences of common purpose can be effective in building community,
how strapping on a life jacket each day became an important symbol for his team,
why honoring the bottom line is an important element in doing good,
how he unconsciously drifted away from his own authenticity, and how he discovered this,
an uncomfortable period of his life that helped him crystallize his sense of purpose,
why he embarked on his book project, and some of the important lessons he’s learned from others while writing it.

Transcript

Transcript for ACL 028: Ken Streater

A Congruent Life is honored to be a sponsor of Evening of Empowerment; I hope that you’ll be able to attend this compelling event in Bend, Oregon on November 5, or in other locations in early 2014.